Mysteriously spicy, sweet, addictive, and a real crowd pleaser. Even with the glaze, these ribs are nowhere near as messy to eat as most ribs, which makes them ideal as an unexpected hors d’oeuvre at the most chichi cocktail party. I confess that I...

This aromatic mixture of split peas and vegetables is a staple in the South Indian diet. It always accompanies favorite snacks such as dosas (lentil crêpes) and idlis (lentil dumplings). A traditional...

This tart and spicy condiment is always served with a Sadhya feast. It is especially nice mixed with plain rice and yogurt as a palate cleanser. This recipe is part of our menu for Sadhya, a South Indian feast....

In North India these legume wafers are called papad and are dry-roasted over a flame, but in the South they are deep-fried until they form lots of air bubbles and become light and puffy. They are sold in many flavors, but plain is preferred in Kerala. Pappadams are always part of a Sadhya: You crush one up and mix it together with rice, dhal, and ghee. The pappadam helps to bind all the ingredients together so you can form balls when eating with your hand. Store-bought wafers are used almost exclusively by Indian cooks because the traditional recipes are labor-intensive and require days of drying in the hot sun. This recipe is part of our menu for Sadhya, a South Indian feast....

I grew up on green beans thoren, and while I’ll never tire of its crunchy deliciousness, I think adding corn makes it even better. And even though people don’t often associate stir-fries with Indian cooking, this dish is a favorite in Kerala. It’s a combination of diced vegetables and coconut, but the key is moistening the coconut so it can soak up the ground spices first. This recipe is part of our menu for Sadhya, a South Indian feast....

This coconut curry adds a tangy note to a South Indian menu. This recipe is part of our menu for Sadhya, a South Indian feast.

South Indian rice is parboiled during processing, which creates a more nutritious but harder grain that needs to be boiled like pasta for 40 minutes. The grains are puffy and separate, and they absorb the...

This quintessential Kerala vegetable curry marries many of the best ingredients of the region: coconut, curry leaves, green chiles, and a host of tropical vegetables. All the vegetables are cut into batons...